


A Different Choice

by agentsofsomething



Series: A Different Path [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Peggy Carter, Bill Paxton deserved a better character, Gen, Good John Garrett, The John Garrett We Deserved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:15:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23572963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentsofsomething/pseuds/agentsofsomething
Summary: John Garrett makes a different choice after Sarajevo and he decides to call the only person that can help him.
Relationships: John Garrett & Nick Fury, John Garrett & Peggy Carter, John Garrett/Victoria Hand, Peggy Carter & Nick Fury
Series: A Different Path [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1716013
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	A Different Choice

**Author's Note:**

> so I wrote this during Coronacation (the break due to COVID-19) and it was written at like 3 in the morning and there’s probably grammar issues but I tried.

1990- Fury’s Office

Nick Fury sat at his desk finishing a mission report and was met by insistent knocking. “One minute.” Fury demanded only for the knocking to get stronger and more demanding. “I swear to god, I hear you, stop knocking!” Fury yelled walking over to open his door to see his trainee John Garrett with a dark look on his face.

“Garrett, what the hell is this about, it’s nearly ten and you're banging down my door! This better be good, John.” Fury said before pausing and moving out of the way so Garrett could enter. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Sarajevo?” 

“Nick, I messed up. I messed up really bad.” Garrett said, holding his stomach. “We need to talk but what I say can never leave this room.” Garrett winced before walking into Fury’s office.

“John, what shit did you get yourself into?” Fury asked, closing the door behind Garrett. Garrett was never this serious about anything, ever and seeing him this serious was starting to freak Fury out. 

“Lock the door.” Garrett spoke which Fury did and as soon as he did, Garrett started to lift up his shirt which Fury rolled his eyes at but his eyes started to widen when he saw burnt skin, scarring, and was that metal. 

“I was In Sarajevo, I stepped on an IED and called for an extraction. I knew there wasn’t one going in but I was dying. That motion was denied because S.H.I.E.L.D had gotten what they wanted and didn’t care about anyone left behind.” Garrett said hobbling towards a shelf with a bottle of alcohol near it. “We’re going to need drinks for this one.” Garrett poured two glasses of whatever was in a very old and seemingly nice bottle.

“That doesn’t explain how you’re standing here in my office. John, tell me what the hell happened to you now.” Fury demanded but accepted the drunk from Garrett. Now he was starting to worry internally.

“I got picked up, but not by an extraction team. Some questionable as hell people but they told me they could heal me, make me better and stronger. I know as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent I should’ve told them to go to hell and let me die an honorable death but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want that to be the end of my story.” Garrett took a big gulp of what he now realized was whiskey in his glass. 

“So I agreed to join whatever crazy test they had planned to do on me. And that’s when they told me. A company called Cybertek turned me into what they called Deathlok. Hell, if I was going to be called that I would’ve just died.” Garrett chuckled to himself before sighing and looking at Fury. “One last thing, Cybertek is just a part of a much larger and dangerous organization. HYDRA.” Garrett said causing Fury to start choking.

“Did you just say HYDRA? Like Captain America and the Nazis HYDRA?” Fury demanded his voice starting to get louder.

“Don’t talk too loud, eyes and ears are everywhere.” Garrett said looking down into his glass. “Yes Captain America HYDRA. And there’s moles in S.H.I.E.L.D right now as we speak.” 

“Who?” Fury demanded. “Give me one name and give me a reason to believe this isn’t a joke right now because if this is a joke, John.” Fury said, starting to move his hand towards his gun.

“Alexander Pierce, Brock Rumlow, Jack Rollins and the names keep coming.” Garrett said, finishing his whiskey. “It’s bad, Nick. It’s really bad and you’re the only person I can trust.” Garrett said, holding his hands in the air.

“Why me? Why not go to someone higher ranking?” Fury asked, slowly moving his hand away from his gun.

“Because, you’re my S.O and I know you would rather die than be a HYDRA agent. Also I don’t know who I can and can’t trust with the higher up agents. I can trust you and I need help because I’m in way over my head over here. I don’t want to be a part of HYDRA. I don’t want to be a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D, I just want to be Agent Garrett again.” Garrett said and for the first time, Fury had seen the young man defeated.

“John, you had to make the hard call and I’m glad you’re alive. This secret has to stay in between you and me and I swear to god no one can ever know, except… we’re going somewhere.” Fury said walking over to his desk and dialing a number into the phone.

Garrett sat down in the chair across from Fury’s desk feeling like a kid stuck in the principal’s office. That’s all he was though right now. A kid stuck in trouble and needed help.

“Hi, it’s Nick… I need a personal favor, I have a trainee who ran into some trouble in the field and we could use your advice… meet at the bar on 5th Avenue… Thank you, I mean it.” Fury said, hanging up the phone. 

“Who was that?” Garrett asked when Fury hung up the phone. He was just praying it wasn’t Coulson because that boy’s heart would break if he found it there was an ounce of HYDRA in S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson was good, and just about everything Garrett thought he wasn’t. 

“An important friend who can help us. Let’s go.” Fury said getting up from his desk with a grudging Garrett in tow. Garrett was still half convinced Fury was going to kill him but Garrett was dead no matter what at this point so he was going to take his chances with a friend compared to some Nazi bastards.

Garrett had followed Nick out to his car for the most awkward car ride of the young man’s life. There were no words spoken between the two of them. Just a looking uncomfortable silence that hung between the two men. Garrett stared out the window of the car realizing this was the end of all of his life plans for the future.

This meant he wasn’t going to have kids, he wasn’t going to fall in love or get married because HYDRA would always be looking over his shoulder. He didn’t have a say or a choice in his own life anymore. He wasn’t going to even get to say goodbye to his friends or family and he was just plain tired. 

“You need to promise not to freak out and take off when we meet with this person.” Fury said parking the car and drawing Garrett out of his own thoughts. 

“Trust me, Nick, nothing is surprising to me anymore. I’m literally a cyborg. I’m a lame version of Terminator.” Garrett grumbled and got out of the car only to freeze when he saw Director Peggy Carter standing outside of the bar. “I take that back.”

“Director Carter.” Fury greeted Carter with a handshake which she pulled him into a warm hug.

“Nicholas Fury, how are you doing. Who’s this young man?” Carter questioned pulling Fury back to see Garrett standing hesitantly behind Fury. 

“Well, this is my trainee, John Garrett and he could use someone to trust right now.” Fury said and Garrett held his hand out to Carter.

“An honor to meet you, ma’am.” Garrett said his face flushing red. This was going to be the day John Garrett wished he was dead. He was going to have to tell Peggy Fucking Carter that HYDRA had been implanted in S.H.I.E.L.D since day one. A life’s work only to be infiltrated. If he didn’t feel like shit from the hack job that HYDRA had done on him. This most definitely made him feel like he was the lowest thing on the earth. 

“The pleasure is mine, a friend of Nicholas’s is one of mine. Please let’s go in and sit.” Carter said as Fury opened the door. 

They sat down at a booth where the floors were sticky underneath them and there was some beer spilt on the table. Garrett found himself in comfort being next to Fury where the both sat across from Carter. For the first time, Garrett realized the bar was somewhere Garrett would find himself with Coulson after a mission or trying to force Hand to come with him. There goes my chance with Vic. Garrett bitterly let his mind wander. 

“Agent Garrett has some precious information that he needs to pass on to you.” Fury said looking at Garrett who swallowed roughly. Garrett began to tell Carter the story he just told Fury and he couldn’t help but to feel his heartbreak as he watched the look of heartbreak on Carter’s face as she realized her life work was doomed from the start.

“I am so, so sorry, Director Carter. I’ll take whatever punishment you give me.” Garrett said placing both of his hands on the table defeatedly. It was over. Everything he had been working for was over because he couldn’t take an agent’s death and now he ruined the Director’s life by telling her about HYDRA.

“No, I’m sorry John that S.H.I.E.L.D didn’t save you. We protect our own and I’m sorry we didn’t.” Carter said putting her hand over his and squeezing it gently. She had tears in her eyes that Garrett tried not to let go through him. “I’m glad you told me and you will not be facing any punishment. I just need you to be my eyes and ears in the organization.” Carter said, stroking the young man’s hand.

“You want me to be a Triple agent?” Garrett asked after doing the calculations in his head briefly. 

“Yes, you might’ve made a choice to protect yourself and have to live with the consequences but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad man. You can still be a good man and a proper S.H.I.E.L.D agent but only if you’re ready to take on that responsibility.” Carter said as Garrett eagerly nodded. 

“Yes, yes ma’am. Whatever you want me to do I will be there. Thank you.” Garrett said, shaking Carter’s hand causing the older woman to laugh.

“You’re still young and you have a very bright future ahead of you as a wonderful agent and an even better young man. Don’t forget that.” Carter said letting go of Garrett’s hand to reach into her purse and pull out a card. “This is my personal secure number. If you have any questions or any intel you call this number on a secure line because this is a highly secured line. Is that understood.”

Garrett nodded, taking the card and looking at it before putting it into his wallet that was soundly in his pocket. “Also, one more thing. You can not break your cover no matter what happens. If a HYDRA uprising ever succeeds, I want you to pretend to be a double agent so you can still get intel. I do not watch you revealing yourself as a triple agent until ordered by myself or Agent Fury. That is extremely important for your safety because if HYDRA is that capable now, I don’t want to know how much farther they’ll be from S.H.I.E.L.D in 20 years.” Carter spoke her tone starting to get dragged down. 

“I will not let you down, Director Carter. That’s a promise that I don’t intend to break until my final breath.” Garrett said as the older woman smiled at him.

“I know.” She spoke softly but with such intensity Garrett understood that she wasn’t angry with him. Garrett felt like the weight of the world was lifted off of his shoulders but he knew this was going to end up being the hardest thing he had ever had to pull off.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this plot idea for awhile and I think I’m going to turn it into a mini series. Thank you so much for reading, please leave fedback.


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